kanaka
noun
a Native Hawaiian.
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kanaka
American
[kuh-nak-uh, -nah-kuh, kan-uh-kuh]
/ kəˈnæk ə, -ˈnɑ kə, ˈkæn ə kə /
noun
(sometimes initial capital letter)
-
a Native Hawaiian.
-
a South Sea islander.
Kanaka
British
/ kəˈnækə, ˈkænəkə /
noun
-
(esp in Hawaii) a native Hawaiian
-
(often not capital) any native of the South Pacific islands, esp (formerly) one abducted to work in Australia
Etymology
Origin of kanaka
From Hawaiian: “person”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The kanaka of Hawaii, the Native Hawaiians who inhabit the islands, value ’ohana, which extends beyond the familial ties of blood.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 26, 2023
To most people in the state — Hawaiians and residents of the islands who are not kanaka maoli — these battles royal are hardly the main problem.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2022
It’s an unsustainable arrangement that has displaced many of our people: Half the global kanaka population now live outside Hawaiʻi.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2022
Honestly, we kanaka don’t mind the moa so much.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2022
My kanaka mother said it was not the kanaka way to sell their daughters for a money price.
From On the Makaloa Mat by London, Jack
Kanaka elders have insisted that no more telescopes be built on Mauna Kea, which Native Hawaiians consider to be ancestral and sacred.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2024
Patrick Michell, chief of the Kanaka Bar First Nation, first began noticing worrying changes in the forest near his reserve in British Columbia, Canada, more than three decades ago.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2021
At least one large fire, dubbed the Kanaka fire, grew to more than 10 acres before crews were able to stop its progress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2021
A wooden footbridge crosses Kanaka Creek, where the trail leads to picnic areas with peaceful water views.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 13, 2018
At the same time, some Kanaka boys were playing about in the water near at hand, diving for stones or bits of money.
From A Boy's Voyage Round the World by Smiles, Samuel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
